Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Hi, been checking the site for a while, getting ready buy that first pontoon. Just got to decide if I want to buy from the dealer that got boats in stock that are close to what I want, and save $$$ in the process, or order what I want from another and spend alot more, AND hope his "six weeks" delivery time is true to his word. Really want in the water before Memorial Day!! At any rate, thanks for the info so far, and thanks for the info yet to come...

Bob

Welcome!! I would go with whats close especially for warranty issues.

Welcome

And what he said, just don't forget the camera we love pictures

how about order what you want from a dealer that's close to you? If you don't get what you want you'll regret it later, but you need a dealer near you for good support.

h2otoo....no question in my mind, whether you buy whats in stock or if you have to order, use a dealer close to you. You'll want that dealer near by when ever you come up with warranty issues, or just have to take it in for service... but whatever you buy, make sure you post some pics for us...we love pics... oh, and welcome to the club.

Roland
2010 Bennington 20 SFi
Yamaha f-75

Thanks for the responses. Still undecided, and got till tomorrow to get the promo from Yamahaha and "Show Price". Best "ship or get off the pot", real quick. The closer dealer is about half an hour away, the other one I am speaking with is only an hour or so away. So no wicked big deal there. The closer dealer is pushing the ones he has in stock and not looking to order any more boats at this time, but his p.u. and storage price is much better, not to mention the price of the boat (not really comparing apples to apples, because the one I may yet order has options, a bit larger motor (60 vs 50), vinyl floor, cabana enclosure, D-seating (double buckets up front, port side) and seat covers. Would "have to" buy a trailer with the more distance one, the p.u. and store price is like double. FYI the closer, less expensive boat is a Bennington 20' Sli, just stock, 50 hp, but adding the ski bar and dock lights. The one I can order is a Sweet Water 2186. So, is it "a case of a bird in the hand", or order something that I am told is 6 wks before del???? Thanks for listening, and I welcome all comments. And I will take some pics when I have something in the lake, promise!

Bob

p.s. Some of these options do not show as being available for the 2186, but the factory rep says he can have it built this way.

h2otoo..... You said one of the boats you were considering was the Bennington 20 GLi... I recently bought the 20 SFi. Basically the same boat but mine's rigged more for fishing with vinyl deck. I also upped the motor to a Yamaha 75 4 stroke and got an extra 3 years warranty ( for a total of 6 yrs on the motor ), plus went with 25" toons instead of 23". Not sure what your dealer is proposing, and I'm sure like me you'd prefer not to discuss money on an open forum, however if you'd like to email me I can be more specific about things and give you an idea of whether your dealer's giving you a fair shake. If your interested drop me an email with all the specifics on your deal. You can find my email buy just clicking on the "profile" button at the bottom of the post, or I think you can send me a message that way also. My son has a larger, more expensive bennington but it depends on what you want the boat for. I would imagine my 20 SFi could comfortably handle 6 to 8 people. We're not into hot rodding around the lake so the 75 does us just fine, I've got a friend who's got an older 90 horse 2 stroke and he went out with us last weekend and told me he wished his 90 ran as good as the 75 ( but I suspect his 8 year old 90 hp has lost alittle of it's compression ). Anyway if you're interested just drop me an email or pm. In any event good luck with your boat shopping.

Roland
2010 Bennington 20 SFi
Yamaha F-75

Roland, sent a bit of a winded p.m. to you.

Bob

Welcome, this kind of interaction almost makes you wonder how we figured out what to buy 20 years ago...

mike wrote:Welcome, this kind of interaction almost makes you wonder how we figured out what to buy 20 years ago...

Trust me, Mike, I had no problem, spending money 20 years ago, or 30 and 40 for that matter. The good thing about the internet is the amount of information out there. Wouldn't it be foolish not to put some of that info to good use? Then again, I thought that was the idea of forums like this one. Maybe I am mistaken about that?

Bob

Whoaaa! I don't think he was jabbin you man! He was saying how cool it is that we can do this.

I was simply saying that 20 years ago if you wanted to buy something you had to rely on word of mouth or the company selling it for info, now you can get the real scoop on quality and price. No jab intended, sorry if it came out that way!

mike wrote:I was simply saying that 20 years ago if you wanted to buy something you had to rely on word of mouth or the company selling it for info, now you can get the real scoop on quality and price. No jab intended, sorry if it came out that way!

My bad, sorry about that, I did read it in the wrong tone of voice. Can I blame it on too much caffeine? And yes, it is nice to be able to ask the consumers, and not have to rely on sales people. Not to mention having a place to think out loud, priceless

One Red Faced Bob

h2otoo wrote:

mike wrote:I was simply saying that 20 years ago if you wanted to buy something you had to rely on word of mouth or the company selling it for info, now you can get the real scoop on quality and price. No jab intended, sorry if it came out that way!

My bad, sorry about that, I did read it in the wrong tone of voice. Can I blame it on too much caffeine? And yes, it is nice to be able to ask the consumers, and not have to rely on sales people. Not to mention having a place to think out loud, priceless

One Red Faced Bob

No worries, hope you post up pics of whatever you get! In a few years I might be asking you for advice on buying a new pontoon!

Well, just pulled the trigger on the 20' Benny. Tried to upgrade the 50hp to a 60, but today is the last day for the Yammi rebate, and was no 60 horses around to be had. Very undecided going into this, but felt much better once I said okay to the deal

Still a bit red faced,
Bob